I Have An Abscess

I have an abscess. It burn a little, it's kinda painful, it's a frikkin' pocket of pus.

It's on my belly button, between the two holes my piercing goes through.

I only noticed it today, i'm sure it wasn't there yesterday. It's kinda big for one day. I looked online and it said I don't have to go to a doctor unless I notice it gets red streaks/lines, gets more painful, or gets bigger.

I put polysporin on it and have tried draining it twice but it comes back.

Yuck. Hoping that it doesn't get worse, when will this go away?

Go see a doctor. An abcess is an infection and should be treated medically. In most cases a doctor will prescribe a course of oral intibiotics along with a topical treatment that includes warm compresses and keeping the area clean with a mild antibacterial soap and topical antibiotic ointment.

You should see a doctor and don't try to treat this yourself as it could get worse and may spead. There is a risk of the abcess containing resistant type of staph bacteria (ie:MRSA).

my mom said i dont have to go unless it gets worse. im gonna see what its like tomorrow. i just want to know how long they take to go away. :s

The amount of time it takes an abcess to go away can vary greatly. There is no way anyone can tell you how long it will take by reading about it here. But, I can tell you that it will last much longer if you don't treat it correctly. Hope you feel better soon.

I think you ought to go to the doctor too.  Not only will they help rule out MRSA, but they will help you treat it properly.  They're best qualified to tell you how long it'll take to cure.  And making sure that you treat everything properly will probably help it to heal faster.

I'd be pretty wary of draining it myself--that seems like it'd be putting you at a very high risk of spreading the infection or of making it worse.

Good luck!

Okay, you have an abscess, and you need to go see an doctor for that problem. Really you do. There is no need in you taking care of the thing yourself. You can set yourself up for an infection, and that's not good.  You are only going to make it worse by poking at it, and trying to drain it yourself. I should know.. I've had an abscess like a boil come up under my arm pitt, and the Dr told me.. Rule number 1.. Do not try to pop it, you'll only make it worse. They normally pop on there own. When the skin gets thin enough for the puss and the head to come through. But they can give you an creme to help you dry it out. You have to put it on. Like 4 to 6 times a day, and make sure you don't have anything around your belly button area.. Rubbing it. Since mines was in a bad place. He drained it with a syringe, and gave me some pills to take and some creme. And a box of dressing to cover it up. You really have to watch those things. They can come back, because you think you got it all. You are going to make matter worst. You can spread that infection to other parts of your body. The best thing to do is leave it be, and see your family doctor as soon as possible.

Take care, and leave it alone.

Go to the doctor.  My boyfriend has been on antibiotics for FIVE weeks now because of an infection and abscess.  He eventually required emergency surgery.  GO TO THE DOCTOR.  NOW. 

crud. looks like im going to be taking out my bellybutton piercing (AGAIN! i JUST had it redone recently....thats a waste of 50 bucks..) and making an appoinment with my doctor.

*sigh*

Because of where it is (around your piercing) I'd suggest that you DO need to go and see a doctor to get some antibiotics - your piercing has got infected and that's not the same as having a pimple somewhere...